Republican Incumbent Virgil Goode won his fifth term to the United States House of Representatives from Virginia's fifth district last night by nearly 28 percent.
In Albemarle County, Goode edged out his Democratic opponent, Al Weed, by a margin of 247 votes, or 0.6 percent of the 42,843 votes cast. As of press time last night, none of Charlottesville's nine precincts had reported their results, though the city was one of only two localities to go for the Democratic challenger Meredith Richards in 2002.
The fifth district begins in Greene County and extends south to the North Carolina border, including Danville and Martinsburg.
In Brunswick County, the other locality to go for Richards in the last election, Weed again feel short by 0.6 percent of the vote, or 135 of the 5,218 votes cast.
After dropping his former Democratic Party affiliation in 2000, Goode ran as a Republican in 2002 against then-Charlottesville Vice Mayor Richards. In that election, Goode won by 27 percent in a landslide. Though he carried a slightly larger margin of the electorate in this year's election, voter turnout in the district rose by more than 100,000 votes.
At his Charlottesville election night party at the Gravity Lounge near the Downtown Mall, Weed said he knew the campaign would be an uphill battle, but he was encouraged by the response he received from supporters. Weed said he is leaving open the possibility running again in 2006, though he will take some time off before making a decision.
Goode was unavailable for comment as of press time last night.
--Compiled by Jason Amirhadji
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